Daily Current Affairs and GK | 31 January 2025

By Priyanka Chaudhary | Last Modified: 31 Jan 2025 16:59 PM IST

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Topic: National Appointment

1. Hisashi Takeuchi re-appointed as MD & CEO of Maruti Suzuki.

  • On January 29, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd announced that its board has approved the reappointment of Hisashi Takeuchi as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for a further period of three years.
  • His tenure will be effective from April 1, 2025, and will continue until March 31, 2028.
  • Maruti Suzuki first appointed Takeuchi as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer effective April 1, 2022, following the completion of his predecessor Kenichi Ayukawa's term on March 31, 2022.
  • He has been on the Board of Maruti Suzuki since July 2019 and served as Joint Managing Director (Commercial) from April 2021 until his elevation.
  • In 1986, he joined Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) and has extensive experience in SMC's international operations as well as overseas markets.
  • Maruti Suzuki India Limited:
  • It was founded by the Government of India on 24 January 1981.
  • It was formerly known as Maruti Udyog Limited.
  • Its first car in India was Maruti 800.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.

Topic: National News

2. A High-Level Committee (HLC) approved Rs 3027.86 crore for disaster mitigation for various states.

  • High-Level Committee (HLC) was chaired by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah.
  • This committee comprises the Union Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister, and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog.
  • This committee considered the Mitigation Project on Lightning Safety to reduce the risk of lightning in 50 districts of 10 states that are most affected by lightning incidents.
  • Besides, the committee also considered proposals for funding from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) for providing Catalytic Assistance to 49 districts in the 12 most drought-affected states.
  • A project for catalytic assistance to 12 of the most drought-prone states at a total outlay of Rs. 2022.16 crore has been approved by the High-Level Committee, with the central share being Rs. 1200 crore.
  • The Mitigation Project on Lightning Safety in 10 states at a total outlay of Rs. 186.78 crore has been approved by the Committee.
  • The Mitigation Scheme for Forest Fire Risk Management in 144 high-priority districts of 19 states has been approved by the Union Home Minister.
  • Its total outlay will be Rs 818.92 crore, of which the central share from NDMF and NDRF will be Rs 690.63 crore.
  • Prior to these proposals, the HLC had approved financial assistance from NDMF for other projects.
  • These included Urban Flood Risk Mitigation Projects in seven major cities at a total outlay of Rs. 3075.65 crore, GLOF Risk Management in 4 states at a total outlay of Rs. 150 crore, and Landslide Risk Mitigation in 15 states at a total outlay of Rs. 1000 crore.
  • Moreover, funds amounting to more than Rs 24,981 crore have already been released to the states during the current financial year.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

3. The Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs has received approval from central government.

  • The program offers credit facilities up to ₹100 crore with 60% National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) guarantee coverage. 
  • The program's goal is to make it easier for MSMEs to obtain loans for the purchase of machinery, equipment, and plant. 
  • Scheduled Commercial Banks, NBFCs, and AIFIs that register with NCGTC are included as Member Lending Institutions (MLIs). 
  • MSMEs are required to have a current Udyam Registration Number to be borrowers.
  • The maximum guaranteed loan amount is ₹100 crore. 
  • 75% of the project's total expenditure must be spent on machinery and equipment. 
  • A two-year freeze on principle payments would accompany a maximum payback period of eight years for loans up to ₹50 crore. 
  • Loans over ₹50 crore could have a different moratorium term and a longer repayment plan. 
  • For guarantee coverage, a 5% down payment of the loan amount must be made at the time of application. 
  • During the sanction year, there is no annual guarantee cost. 
  • For the following three years, the yearly guarantee cost is 1.5% of the loan balance due on March 31. 
  • The annual guarantee charge will be 1% of the loan balance as of March 31 after three years.

Topic: Banking System

4. A beta version of CRED's e-rupee wallet has been released.

  • This makes CRED the first fintech to integrate the central bank digital currency of the RBI. 
  • Yes Bank is the first sponsor bank to allow third-party application providers like CRED to issue CBDCs. 
  • In April 2024, the RBI proposed allowing non-bank payment system operators to provide CBDC wallets.
  • RBI proposed this to increase the number of consumers who may access CBDC-Retail. 
  • Transactions up to ₹10,000 per transfer are supported via CRED's e-rupee wallet.
  • The storage limit is ₹1 lakh, while the daily transaction limit is ₹50,000.
  • PIN-less transactions under ₹500 and programmable merchant payments will be included in future releases. 
  • These capabilities will finally be made available to all CRED members. 

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

5. A review meeting on Gujarat's implementation of three new criminal legislations was chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. 

  • Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, along with other officials, attended the meeting. 
  • Union Home Minister praised Gujarat's efforts to adopt the new criminal legislations.
  • He gave commissionerates time till April 30, 2025, to complete the process of adoption. 
  • He said Gujarat Chief Minister should assess the implementation every month.
  • The State Home Minister should examine it every two weeks. 
  • Shah emphasized that in more than 92% of instances with penalties more than ten years, Gujarat has successfully filed charge sheets on schedule. 
  • Gujarat's progress in turning Zero FIRs into regular FIRs was praised by the Home Minister.
  • He suggested that Gujarat implement CCTNS 2.0. 
  • Shri Shah proposed making sure that hospital medical and post-mortem reports are submitted electronically. 
  • Shri Shah advocated for police stations to have 30 Mbps network access. 
  • For fugitives involved in national security crimes, the Home Minister supported the start of Trial in Absentia. 
  • He underlined that each district must have two forensic mobile vans and that their kits must be made in India.
Monthly Current Affairs eBooks
December Monthly Current Affairs 2024 November Monthly Current Affairs 2024
October Monthly Current Affairs 2024 September Monthly Current Affairs 2024

Topic: Space and IT

6. Government has said that India will soon bring its own indigenous AI model.

  • After a 40% government subsidy, India's AI model will cost less than 100 rupees per hour. 
  • The cost of using global AI models ranges from $2.50 to $3 per hour. 
  • 18 citizen-centric applications centered on learning disabilities, climate change, and agriculture will be part of the Indian AI model. 
  • India's AI model will incorporate Indian languages and be tailored to the Indian context. 
  • Several core models for the Indian AI system are being developed by scientists, researchers, developers, and programmers. 
  • It is anticipated that the AI model would be completed in six months. 
  • Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw informed that DeepSeek's Open Source Code will soon be accessible to users, programmers, and developers on Indian servers following security protocol checks.

Topic: Important Days

7. India Gate was illuminated in orange and purple to mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day. 

  • This was part of a global initiative to illuminate famous sites worldwide in order to increase public awareness of NTDs
  • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare hosted the event to highlight India's advancements in the fight against NTDs.
  • The event's main focus was on visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and lymphatic filariasis (LF).
  • In India, 404 million individuals are at risk for lymphatic filariasis, which can seriously impair their capacity to function.
  • Unusual body part enlargement brought on by lymphatic filariasis cause pain.
  • Kala-Azar, another name for visceral leishmaniasis, can result in severe malnourishment, debility, and loss of job capacity.
  • World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day is celebrated every year on 30 January.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

8. The Data Informatics and Innovation Division signed an MoU with IIIT-Delhi on 30 January.

  • The Data Informatics and Innovation Division, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), signed an MOU with Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-Delhi) under the Data Innovation Lab initiative.
  • The Ministry has initiated several reforms in the last one year to modernize the National Statistical System.
  • In July 2024, MOSPI had launched the scheme of the Data Innovation (DI) Lab initiative to foster innovation and create an ecosystem for research-driven solutions.
  • The DI Lab is designed to serve as a platform for using emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Big Data Analytics to enhance data collection, processing and dissemination.
  • As part of outreach activities, the lab is engaging with leading academic institutions.
  • More than 100 academic institutions have been approached. MoUs have been signed with many prestigious institutions including IITs and IIMs.
  • This partnership aims to leverage academic expertise to address real-world challenges in official statistics by creating a link between academics and practitioners.
  • In this collective effort and collaborative approach towards improving official statistics, the partnership was formalized through this MoU between the MoSPI and IIIT Delhi.
  • With the signing of this MoU, the MoSPI is strengthening its commitment to promote long-term collaboration between the Government and academia and to inculcate new ideas in the system.

Topic: Books and Authors

9. The book “Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade” released by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on 30 January.

  • ‘Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade’ is an anthology edited by Dr. Aishwarya Pandit.
  • This book is published by Westland Non-Fiction.
  • This book with essays by 27 eminent authors highlights the profound transformation that India has undergone during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 2014 to 2024.
  • This book presents a comprehensive analysis of India's political, economic, social and cultural development under the leadership of PM Modi.
  • Dr. Aishwarya Pandit is an Associate Professor at Jindal Global Law School.
  • In 2022, her first book, "Claiming Citizenship and Nation: Muslim Politics and State Building in North India, 1947–1986," was published by Routledge.

Topic: Space and IT

10. AI model claimed to surpass DeepSeek-V3 unveiled by Alibaba.

  • On 29 January, a new version of the Qwen 2.5 AI model was released by Chinese tech firm Alibaba, with a claim that it surpassed the highly acclaimed DeepSeek-V3.
  • The release of Qwen 2.5-Max on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when most Chinese people are off work, highlights the pressure created by DeepSeek's meteoric rise.
  • This pressure has been felt not only by overseas rivals but also by its domestic competition.
  • Alibaba's cloud unit announced on WeChat that Qwen 2.5-Max outperforms GPT-4o, DeepSeek-V3, and Llama-3.1-405B almost across the board.
  • The releases of DeepSeek's AI assistant on January 10 and its R1 model on January 20 have shocked Silicon Valley.
  • The Chinese startup's low cost AI model have raised investor concerns over the massive spending plans of leading U.S. AI firms.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. The government has launched the TEAM initiative with a ₹277 crore budget to onboard 5 lakh businesses onto the ONDC network.

  • The Trade Enablement and Marketing (TEAM) initiative to enable small and micro enterprises to join ONDC has been announced by the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) in partnership with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
  • A budget of ₹277.35 crore over three years has been allocated for the initiative, which will focus on onboarding 5 lakh micro and small enterprises, with 50% of them being women-led businesses.
  • The aim of the MSME TEAM Initiative is to enable MSMEs to embrace digital commerce and expand their market presence.
  • The TEAM initiative aims to connect MSMEs to the ONDC network and provide access to digital storefronts, integrated payment systems, and logistics support.
  • By reducing operational barriers, the initiative aims to help businesses expand their market presence and reach a wider customer base.
  • Founded on 31 December 2021, the ONDC Network consists of 200+ apps, including buyer and seller apps.
  • Shoppers can select from various buyer apps to purchase products, depending on the categories available on each app.
  • Sellers have the option to pick from the seller apps listed on the network.

Topic: State News/ Haryana

12. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini inaugurated the International Saraswati Mahotsav.

  • The International Saraswati Mahotsav has been inaugurated at Adi Badri in Yamunanagar district. The Adi Badri is the origin place of the Saraswati river.
  • This Mahotsav will take place from January 29 to February 2, 2025.
  • A three-day international conference on “The Sacred Saraswati River” was also held at Kurukshetra University.
  • The main objective of the festival is to attract the attention of the whole world towards the great civilization of India.
  • On this occasion, the Chief Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 29 projects worth 54 crore 71 lakh rupees.
  • The Haryana government has signed an agreement with Himachal Pradesh to ensure the perennial flow of water in the Saraswati River.

Topic: National News

13. DGFT launched an enhanced eCoO 2.0 System to simplify the certification process for exporters.

  • To simplify the certification process for exporters and enhance trade efficiency, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has launched the enhanced Certificate of Origin (eCoO) 2.0 System.
  • This upgraded platform offers several user-friendly features, such as multi-user access.
  • It will enable exporters to authorize multiple users under a single Importer Exporter Code (IEC).
  • An integrated dashboard offers exporters seamless access to eCoO services, Free Trade Agreement (FTA) information, trade events, and other resources.
  • The platform also offers a Certificate of Origin option, allowing exporters to request corrections to previously issued certificates through an easy online application process.
  • After 1st Jan 2025, the electronic filing of Non-Preferential Certificates of Origin has become mandatory via the eCoO 2.0 platform.
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Evolution and History of the Indian Constitution Preamble of the Indian Constitution
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